Aquarius Records Reviews The Moles “Untune the Sky” 2xLP
Comments(1)
Here’s what the great Aquarius records has to say about our latest release from the Moles:
The Moles are definitely not a household name, at least in most normal households, which is definitely a shame. Not sure how many folks remember the band Cardinal, they only released one proper full length, back in the nineties, but to this day, it remains quite possibly one of the most perfect orchestral pop records ever released. But before Cardinal, there was the Moles. Untune The Sky is the debut from New Zealand poppers The Moles, the band that Richard Davies called home, long before Cardinal, and while not nearly as lush or orchestral, it’s a classic slice of primo late 80’s/early 90’s Flying Nun style experimental pop. Droning and hypnotic, with lots of jagged unfinished edges, weird almost industrial noise, Brit pop jangle and an almost Morrissey vocal drawl. But for as experimental as the Moles were, all of that experimentalism was wrapped around some incredibly catchy pop, hooks galore, not always proudly on display, sometimes nearly totally obfuscated, but just as often, set up right in front, and allowed to shine, an approach to pop that to this day still seems distinctly New Zealand. Fans of the Tall Dwarfs, the Bats, the Clean, the 3Ds, the Chills, Straightjacket Fits, the Verlaines, could have easily missed out on the Moles, they were sort of underground even among the already underground, plus they were definitely a bit weirder, but now’s the time to right that wrong, this stuff is timeless, sounding as good as ever, some incredible pop songs can be found within Untune The Sky, and half the fun is digging for them.
The Moles are from Australia. They also weren’t as ‘underground’ as you seem to believe. They did toured the world in the early nineties, living in NY and London for a while, gaining a fair bit of acclaim. Broke up, that was it.
I can understand why you might have decided to lump them in with the flying nun bands, sonically they’re similar. Untune the sky definitely has something of The Clean about it, and Tall Dwarfs. But I also believe it’s a better album than any release of either the clean or tall dwarfs, in scope.
There is also something of the brit pop about it, sure – that was the time. But there is something really distinctly australian about this album that tugs at the heart strings of a resident.
I also wouldn’t say Morrissey off the bat as a vocal similarity. Consider how Davies voice goes charmingly out of tune at just the right time, or stays kind of out of it for the duration of a song (see ‘Rebecca’). Perhaps Lawrence of Felt fame is a better comparison.
You’re right though. ‘Timeless’ is the word.